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25 Dec 2021 Olive Ridley: Zoological Survey of India

Posted at 15:12h in Daily current-affairs by khyati khare 0 Comments

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Researchers from the ‘Zoological Survey of India’ (ZSI) are tagging ‘Olive Ridley’ turtles at three locations- Gahirmatha, the mouth of the Devi River and Rushikulya.
This exercise was conducted in Odisha in January 2021 after a period of about 25 years and 1,556 turtles were tagged.

Metal tags on turtles are non-corrosive, can be removed later and they do not harm the turtle’s body.
These tags are uniquely numbered, containing details such as organization name, country-code, and email address.
In case researchers in other countries detect tagged turtles, they will email their location in longitude and latitude to researchers in India. Thus it is an established network working on turtles.
It will help them to identify the migration routes and places the marine reptiles go after congregating and nesting.

Olive Ridley turtles are the smallest and largest of all sea turtles found in the world.
These turtles are carnivorous and their backworms are of Olive Colored Carapace, on the basis of which they have got this name.
These turtles are best known for their unique mass nesting Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
They are mainly found in the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Odisha is known as the largest breeding ground for sea turtles in the world.

Marine pollution and waste.
Human consumption: These turtles are hunted for their meat, skin, leather and eggs.
Plastic waste: The ever-increasing debris of plastic, fishing nets, polythene and other waste thrown by tourists and fishing workers.
Fishing trawlers: Overexploitation of marine resources by use of trawlers often violates the rule of no fishing within a distance of 20 km within a marine sanctuary.
Several dead turtles were found with bruises indicating that they may have been trapped in a trawler or gill net.

Operation Olivia:

Conducted annually, the Indian Coast Guard’s “Operation Olivia” began in the early 1980s to help protect the Olive Ridley turtles as they breed and nest on the Odisha coast from November to December.
It also prevents illegal trapping activities.

Mandatory Use of Turtle Exclusion Devices (TED):

To reduce the incidence of accidental deaths in India, the Odisha government has made it mandatory for trolls to use Turtle Excluder Devices (TED), traps specially designed with an exhaust cover that Helps turtles to escape when they are caught in nets.

Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), an organization under the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It was established in the year 1916.
It is a national centre for survey and exploration of leading resources to provide information on various aspects of prosperous life.
It is headquartered in Kolkata and presently 16 regional stations are located in different geographical locations of the country.